Chalong

If you need a bite before a Broadway show, and you’d like that bite to be crab curry, head to Chalong. This Southern Thai spot in Hell’s Kitchen always has reservations available, but the large, earth-toned space works for walk-ins too, if you suddenly realize that you should probably eat something before you sit through a three-hour musical. In case you’d like to really lean into it, you might even find a Broadway show-themed cocktail: we once drank a Book of Mormon collab concoction with pineapple and clamato. This beachy restaurant has an appropriately seafood-focused menu, which is perfect for working through with a group. Order the crab curry, and the lumpu salad: a raw oyster and herb salad that puts oysters on the half-shell to shame.